The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, for blaming recent terrorist attacks in Kebbi and Kwara States on the remarks made by US President Donald Trump.
ADC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the claim as “amateurish deflection and shameless attempt to abdicate responsibility by the APC-led Federal Government.”
Abdullahi said his party was surprised by the comments attributed to Akume, adding, “We find it quite appalling that the APC-led Federal Government now claims its security failures are caused by a tweet by the President of another country.
“This is a shameful abdication of responsibility, a confirmation that the Tinubu government is overwhelmed by the security situation in the country and is clueless how to go about solving it.”
ADC said for years under the APC administration, “Nigerians have suffered horrific massacres, mass abductions and assaults on schools and worship centers. This situation has worsened with each passing year, particularly under the current administration as the bandits and terrorists get more emboldened by government’s failure to respond appropriately.”
The coalition said it is therefore disingenuous to blame one tweet for the state of insecurity in Nigeria.
It said, “Those killing Nigerians did not need to be instigated by Trump, they were already actively encouraged by a government that consistently fails to act decisively to stop the carnage, a government that is, even after nearly three years in office, still celebrating its electoral victory while the country is turned to a killing field.
“How can a government that takes pride in its sovereignty and has any modicum of self respect blame one statement by a foreign leader for the collapse of its security system? Are we so vulnerable that a social media post from Washington can that easily turn our country upside down?
“If indeed Mr. Trump’s statement constitutes such a security threat, what has been the government’s evaluation of that threat and what measures have the government put in place to mitigate the potential threat that could emanate from it? This is what any serious government would do. It would not just wait for these opportunistic attacks to start shopping for who to blame for its incompetence.
“There is no doubt about this: Nigeria is under siege because of the Tinubu-led APC government’s domestic negligence and incompetence rather than President Trump’s social media post.”
